Gambling Editor
Cesar Garcia won the $26,000 PGT PLO Series Championship for $420,000, claiming his first PokerGO Tour title in the eighth and final event of the 2026 series. The Spanish pro topped a 48-entry field, with the result reported by Card Player.
A major milestone for Garcia
The championship generated a $1.2 million prize pool, paid to the top seven finishers. Garcia added the PGT title to a resume that already included a World Series of Poker bracelet and a $1.2 million victory at the Onyx High Roller Series, according to Card Player.
His recorded tournament earnings reached $5,710,817 after the win. Garcia also collected 420 Card Player Player of the Year points, moving to just outside the top 100 in that season-long standings race.
The final event began its second day with 12 players left and seven places paid. After Christopher Frank, Eelis Parssinen, Chino Rheem and Joni Jouhkimainen were eliminated, Alex Livingston became the tournament’s last player to leave without a payout, finishing eighth.
Garcia turns the tide heads-up
Garcia and Youness Barakat started final-table play nearly level at the top, each holding more than three times the chips of any other contender. Barakat quickly lost ground, first running into Garcia’s full house and then doubling up Matthew Wantman and Robert Cowen. Barakat eventually finished fifth for $96,000 after his wrap straight draw ran into Garcia’s flopped set of sevens.
Cowen took control later, winning two substantial pots from Garcia before Lautaro Guerra’s run ended in fourth place for $126,000. Wantman finished third for $174,000, while Cowen carried a significant chip lead into heads-up play. The pivotal pot came on an 8♥ 5♦ 2♥ A♦ 6♥ board: Cowen held a set of aces, but Garcia had made the nut flush on the river. Garcia moved ahead with 10.3 million chips to Cowen’s 1.7 million.
Cowen finished runner-up for $264,000, his second second-place finish of the series. On the final hand, he flopped a queen-high straight on a rainbow board; Garcia turned a king-high straight, then improved to Broadway on the river to secure the title.
Final results and series standings
Garcia earned 252 PGT points and finished third in the PGT Player of the Series race, behind Jonas Kronwitter and Sam Soverel. Kronwitter and Soverel each won two titles during the series, with Soverel placing second in the overall standings.
The remaining paid finishers were Guerra in fourth for $126,000, Barakat in fifth for $96,000, Sean Rafael in sixth for $72,000 and Brevin Andreadis in seventh for $48,000. Andreadis received $48,000 after his tournament ended in seventh.
Garcia’s championship adds a first PGT title to the bracelet and Onyx victory noted in Card Player’s report. His 420 Player of the Year points put him just outside the top 100, while the title itself marks the latest major result in his recorded tournament career.
